Concern as School in Greater Accra Turns Pupils Into ‘Beggars’ in Fundraising Competition

• A school in the Ga North Municipality has handed pupils contribution cards and tasked them with collecting money from the public in a competition
• The child who raises the highest amount wins free school fees for the first term of the 2026/2027 academic year
• Headmaster Waisu Issaka has defended the initiative as voluntary, insisting all participants will receive benefits and that the school has run similar contests before

A primary school in the Greater Accra Region has come under fire after pupils were issued contribution cards and asked to solicit money from relatives, neighbours and members of the public as part of a school-organised fundraising competition.

ALMS Preparatory School at Amormorle, in the Ga North Municipality, is running an initiative called the "Icon Contest," in which pupils compete to raise the highest amount of money.

The Chronicle reported that the winner receives free school fees for the first term of the 2026/2027 academic year.

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A copy of the contribution card, sighted by The Chronicle, includes spaces for donors to write their names, indicate the amount given and append their signatures. The school confirmed the contest has been run on previous occasions.

The exercise has triggered concern among parents and residents who argue that children are being placed in a competition where success depends not on academic ability, discipline or talent, but on financial reach. Critics note that pupils from wealthier or better-connected families hold a natural advantage over those whose parents cannot mobilise the same level of support.

The controversy has also raised broader questions about what values schools communicate when children are rewarded for soliciting cash rather than for excellence in the classroom.

In an interview with The Chronicle, headmaster Waisu Issaka defended the contest and insisted that participation is entirely voluntary.

Issaka said the initiative was designed to assist pupils who struggle to pay their school fees, framing the competition as an opportunity for such children to receive support.

"Anyone at all who took part in the contest is going to get something; they will never go free, because everybody has contributed will get something. That is why we are allowing everyone to register."

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"The headmaster also pushed back on suggestions that the programme was a novel one. "I am not the first person to do it. This is not the first time we are doing this. We have done it before."

His explanation has done little to silence critics, however, who maintain that organising children into structured money-collection schemes, regardless of whether participation is optional, is inappropriate for an educational institution.

Questions remain about how many pupils are taking part, the total amount expected to be collected and the extent to which the contest places younger or less financially connected pupils at a disadvantage.

Source: YEN.com.gh